White Principal Says Black Students “Less Smart”

When a principal of a high school in Memphis told his student body how well they performed on a standardized state test, he not only told them their scores; he reported which races did poorer than others, WREG-TV 803 Channel 3 in Memphis, Tenn. reports.

Germantown High School principal Ted Horrell reportedly revealed data that showed black students appeared “less smart” than whites.

Deborah Cannon, the parent of one of the school’s black students, says that her daughter was taunted by white students after the Horrell made the announcement.

“She felt that (Horrell) presented this information to basically reflect that the African-American students were the reason their scores were down,” Cannon recalls her daughter telling her.

But to hear Horrell tell it, he didn’t feel like he said anything wrong.

The intention was not to offend, embarrass, or to upset any of the students.” said Horrell.

“Perhaps it didn’t benefit them, but I can tell you what the intent was, the intent was to say this was the published result of the Tennessee state report card. This is what people see when they look at the data in our schools. We as teachers are taking it on. We want you to be aware of it, and how we’re doing it. Perhaps sharing that data wasn’t the best way to communicate that to the students.”